Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys Co-founder, Dead at 47

Sad news today: Adam Yauch, one third of the seminal hip-hop triumvirate the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47. The Brooklyn-born musician, known as MCA by his fans, was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 after finding a tumor in his salivary gland.

Inspired by Black Flag, Yauch formed the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979. The group has released eight albums (the latest being Hot Sauce Committee Part Two last year) and won three Grammy awards. Under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower, Yauch also directed several of the trio’s music videos, including “So What’cha Want” and “Intergalactic.” Earlier this year, the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because of his ongoing treatment, Yauch could not make the induction ceremony, but he sent a letter that his bandmates read onstage: “I’d like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike. [...] They walked the globe with me. It’s also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours.”

Yauch, who also founded the film-production company Oscilloscope Laboratories and was heavily involved in the movement to free Tibet, is survived by his wife, Dechen Wengdu, and their daughter, Losel.